CHURCH: Origin & History of the Slate Ridge Presbyterian Church, Peachbottom, York County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Abby Bowman Copyright 2004. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/york/ ________________________________________________ An Historical Discourse Relating The Origin and History of the Slate Ridge Presbyterian Church in Peachbottom, York County, Pa., By Joseph D. Smith, Pastor. Published By The Congregation Philadelphia: Printed by Alfred Martien, 1868. As there is no reference, by foot-notes or otherwise, to the sources whence the greater part of the matter of the following discourse has been obtained, I would here briefly indicate the chief of these sources. I am indebted to Rev. R. P. Dubois, and to Rev. M. Newkirk, for access to the early records of the Newcastle Presbytery,--to Rev. Andrew Mitchell, for access to the minutes of the Old Donegal Presbytery, and to Rev. A. B. Cross, for the use of an abstract of the first minutes of the Baltimore Presbytery. "The History of York County," has furnished accounts of the church buildings, their sites, and the first ministers of the church. In "Sprague's Annals of the American Pulpit," in Webster's and Hodge's Histories of the Presbyterian Church, I have found accounts of some of the ministers who have served the Slate Ridge Church, together with estimates of their lives, character and work. The late Dr. Cleaveland, of New Haven, Connecticut, the late Professor Geiger of Princeton, and my Brother, have furnished me with a few facts relating to Whittlesey, Strain, and Martin. The reader will see that I have gone to another source for a few statements--to tradition. The discourse was delivered to the Congregation of Slate Ridge in 1865, but its publication has been delayed until the present time. October, 1868. J.D.S. Slate Ridge Manse. HISTORICAL DISCOURSE It is a maxim generally received as true, that example is more powerful in influencing men than precept. It is the part of wis- dom then, to choose and employ that form of truth which is most agreeable to our minds, and has the greatest power for good. History is the great storehouse of examples, to which we go and obtain that which will interest, move, guide and instruct us. Divine wisdom directs men, "to inquire of the former age, and pre- pare themselves to the search of their fathers;....Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart." In our attempt to give the history of this church, we inquire of the former age, prepare ourselves to the search of our fathers, and desire they shall teach us by their example. When the scantiness of the sources whence the material for the history of this church is to be obtained, is seen and known, it appears to be an hopeless attempt to write its history, and when performed may prove an unsatisfactory work. We have no records of session from which we can get materials of history, as the session of this church did not record the minutes of their proceedings until a few years ago. None, or very few of the proceedings of the congregation, have been recorded. For the first nine or ten years of this church's history, no minutes of the Presbytery to which it belonged are extant. A full and minute history in such case cannot be written, and is not to be expected. Our province is to collect the few scat- tered accounts which yet exist, arrange them in their order, and if possible give to them a permanent form. A brief account of the first settlers here, their native places, and character, will properly introduce the history of our church. Like every other part of this continent, the lands we now occupy, and places where we live, were once the home of the red man. Here he hunted his game, and fished in the "long crooked river," which forms our eastern boundary. This place was not so early occu- pied by the white race, as other parts of this country. We find the Indian was present here engaged in hunting until 1730. This township with others adjoining it in this county, were, and some- times yet are called, "The York Barrens." This name was given to the land here, not on account of the sterility of the soil, but for another and entirely different reason. The Indians for many years, and until 1730, for the purpose of improving this portion of their great park or hunting ground, fired the bushes as often as their convenience seemed to call for it, and when the whites began to settle here, they found no timber. Hence they applied the name "Barrens," a common appellation at that time, to such por- tions of land, however fertile the soil. On May 10, 1729, the upper parts of Chester county, were were erected into a distinct county, called Lancaster, and the limits of the new county embraced the territory west of the Susquehanna. On the 19th of August, 1749, a division of Lancaster was made, and the western part of it erected into the county of York. In the spring of 1729, John and James Hendricks, under the authority of Government, made the first authorized settlements in what is now called York county. The lands west of the Susquehanna, however, were not purchased by the proprietary of Pennsylvania from the Indians before October 1736. The land office, therefore, was not open for the sale of lands under the existing laws until this date, 1736. The settlements made on such lands before their purchase from the Indians, were by special license to individuals, from Samuel Blunston, or other proprietary agent, and were of limited number. After the office was open for the unrestricted sale of lands, applications and grants for the district then mulitiplied, and the influx of settlers from this time on, was great. The original and succeeding members of this church have dwelt, and its present members now dwell in part of York county, Pennsylvania, and in part of what is now called Harford county, Maryland. To this portion of the new world some of the people of the old world emigrated, and here they settled. The first settlers, we are told, were principally Scotch and Scotch-Irish. It is stated that the influx from abroad, from 1718 to 1740, was wholly Protestant, and largely Presbyterian. The newspapers of that time furnish accounts of the extent of the emigration of this class, especially from Ireland. In September, 1736, one thousand families sailed from Belfast, in Ireland, on account of the difficulty of renewing their leases; on the 9th of the same month, one hundred Presby- terians from Ireland arrived at Philadelphia, as many more soon afterwards at Newcastle, and twenty ships were daily expected from Ireland. Wodrow, the Scottish historian, says, "the depar- ture of the people in shoals, excited the fears of the English govern- ment, lest Ireland should be wholly abandoned to the papists." At one and the same time we find the lands of this neighborhood offered unrestrictedly for sale, and large numbers of emigrants arriving, and we, therefore, conclude that the settlement of this place was from 1736, and onwards. Tradition has it that the first settlers here were principally of the better order of peasantry,-- that they were a sober, industrious, moral, and intelligent people, and, as to religion, strict Presbyterians. Their manners partook of that simplicity, kindness and hospitality characteristic of the class to which they belonged in their native countries. It has been said that "the Dutch, the Huguenot, and the Pilgrims brought the Church and the School here with them." The Scotch and the Scotch-Irish, when they emigrated, brought their Church and School with them also. The early history of Presbyterianism in this land shows that wherever a sufficient number of this class of emigrants settled, almost their first care was to provide for, and obtain the administration of the ordinances of worship. One of the first arrangements, therefore, made by the primitive settlers west of the Susquehanna, was to have the gospel preached in their midst. At the time, or shortly after the settle- ment of this place, an event occurred which, no doubt, increased their desire for gospel ordinances. This event was the effusion of the Holy Spirit. It is stated, "There was so great a revival in Baltimore county in 1746 and '47, that it seemed to Davies like the first planting of religion there. It was in what is now Harford county, and extended from Deer Creek to Slate Ridge and Chance- ford." This was an auspicious beginning for our Church. The first thing required in the arrangements made by men to worship Jehovah, is the preparation of a sanctuary for Him, and this our fathers provided. The first house consecrated to the worship of God in this part of the country, was a log building near Muddy Creek. Tradition indicates the site of this first sanctuary. It is at the junction of Scott's Run and Muddy Creek, east of the former and south of the latter. Now, this appears an unsuitable place for a church. It is difficult to get to, or from it. We think the reason why this place was chosen for the site of their sanctuary was, that it was central to the people of Chanceford and those living where we now dwell. When a house of worship was built and a church organized in Chanceford, a more central and con- venient place was chosen, by the members of this church, on which to erect their house of worship. Although difficult in getting to and from it at present, yet the scenery around the site of the old sanctuary is pleasing to the eye. Two streams, running in opposite directions,--the meeting of the waters,--the wooded range rising gradually behind where the ancient sanctuary stood,--all unite in forming one of nature's very pleasing pictures. It reminds one of some of the places in Scotland where the persecuted Covenanters were wont to assemble and worship Jehovah. The log building at Muddy Creek was burned. A second, and temporary building, was then erected, about three miles further south, in the State of Mary- land, on land then owned by Michael Whiteford, Esq. A vague tradition indicates that this "temporary building" was erected near where Mr. John Beattie now lives. This building was soon deserted, and a third house of worship was erected, either on or near to the place where we are now assembled. In the year 1762, a fourth house of worship was built. It is described as "a new, better and fourth church, built of squared logs, on the same site." About the year 1800 this house was burned, being set on fire, it is said, by an incendiary. Soon after this, the present and fifth house of worship was built. Five houses of worship on three sites have been erected by the worshippers who have preceded us. As there is no extant record of the organization of this church, we can only approximate the time when it was regularly con- stituted. One statement we have met with is, "A congrega- tion was organized, and church erected prior to 1750." Another account is, that it was organized, not before 1750, and probably in 1751. The man to whom, as is generally believed, belongs the honor and good work of constituting this church, was the Rev. Eleazer Whittlesey. He was a native of New England, and born probably in Bethlem, Connecticut. In the "Memorials of the Whittlesey Family," published in 1855, there is an Eleazer Whit- tlesey, son of Jabez Whittlesey, and Lydia Way, his wife, the third generation from John Whittlesey, the original emigrant to this country. This Eleazer Whittlesey was born March 25th, 1711. We conclude that this was the one who organized this church. "He came to Burr, at Newark, New Jersey, with a letter from Bellamy, in the winter of 1741-42. Burr wrote to Bellamy respecting him, and says:--'Mr. Tennent and I have encouraged him in his design. He is now under my care, and makes good progress in learning. I trust the Lord has work for him to do. N. B. He was not converted in the way that you think necessary, and that I have thought so, though now I am in some doubt of it. I have met with others of God's dear people who don't tell of such a particular submission as we have insisted on, though the substance of the thing may be found in all.' He afterwards spent some time at Nottingham, in Cecil county, Maryland, where Finley taught an academy. Finley, on sending him to college in 1747, speaks of him as having made considerable proficiency. He graduated in 1749, at Nassua Hall, then located at Neward, with Burr as Presi- dent, a member of the second class in that institution, and was licensed to preach the gospel by the Newcastle Presbytery soon after. Writing to Bellamy, May 8, 1750, from Mr. Finley's, he says, 'he had been directed to ride abroad in March and April and supply vacancies, and this week I go to Deer Creek.' He com- plains of being unable to study, or to make preparation for the pulpit on account of 'what you call melancholy, but what I call by another name;' and that in consequence his days passed in 'painful idleness.' Finley writes to Bellamy, July 3, 1752, that 'Whittle- sey, whom I tenderly love for his zeal and integrity, left my house on a Thursday morning, cheerful, and in pretty good health, and preached the next Sabbath at Muddy Run, not designing to con- tinue there longer. On Monday he was taken sick with pleurisy, in a cold house and a cold time. He continued in pain until Satur- day, and then gave up the ghost. The last words he was heard to utter were:--"O Lord leave me not." The Susquehanna was frozen, and no messenger could come to me till all was over. He died December 21. To Bellamy he bequeathed his watch, and requested Rodgers to take his horse at what price he pleased.'" A tradition worthy of belief, asserts that the body of Whittlesey was buried in a graveyard near where James Johnson, Esq., now lives. Like many other places of sepulture, this place where some of the dead sleep, is become a part of a fruitful field, and no one on the present generation knows the exact spot where Whittlesey's ashes repose. The successor of Whittlesey in this charge, it is said, was Evan- der Morrison. He was probably from Scotland. He joined the Newcastle Presbytery in 1753. He is said to have succeeded Whittlesey at Slate Ridge and Chanceford. It was during his ministry that the second house of worship was erected. In the only source of the history of this church at his time, we read, "After Mr. Morrison's departure, this congregation, jointly with that of Chanceford, was blessed with the ministry of Mr. Black." I can obtain no knowledge of this minister's parentage, birth-place, or how long he ministered here. It was during his ministry that the third house of worship was erected. We learn from authentic records that this church was without a pastor in 1759. The man who next became minister and pastor of this church was Mr. John Strain. Of his ancestry and birth-place we have no knowledge. He was probably born in 1728. The first notice we have of him, is as a student in Princeton College, where he graduated in 1757--a year memorable as that in which Jonathan Edwards entered on the duties of President of that institution. Where, or with whom he studied theology, we do not certainly know. It has been conjectured that he studied theology under Dr. Finley. He was licensed to preach the gospel on May 29, 1759. From the minutes of the Newcastle Presby- tery of this time, we learn that several of the churches under its care were then vacant, and Mr. Strain and others were appointed to supply them. He was ordered by Presbytery to supply Slate Ridge and Chanceford the 3d and 4th Sabbaths in July following his licensure. His acceptableness as a minister of the word, from the beginning of his ministry, is evinced by the desire of several congregations to secure him as their pastor. At the meeting of the Newcastle Presbytery, October 11, 1759, calls were tendered him from Marsh Creek, Forks of Brandywine, Chanceford and Slate Ridge. These calls were taken under consideration by him until the next meeting. In the meantime, among the churches which he was appointed to supply, was that of Slate Ridge and Chanceford, on the 1st, 2d, 3d, and 4th Sabbaths of December, 1759, and also on the 2d and 3d Sabbaths of March, 1760. It is on record, that at this time Mr. Strain had his house burned, and chiefly what was in it. He applied to the Presbytery of New- castle for charitable collections. Presbytery ordered the congre- gations under their care to take up collections for him. At the meeting of Presbytery, when he was required to give answers to the calls in his hands, he stated that he was yet undetermined about settling at all, and with the leave of Presbytery, he was inclined to return all the calls. The Commissioners from the several congregations plead that the calls be continued in his hands. At the next meeting of Presbytery, Mr. Strain returned all the calls, and asked leave to itinerate, and for this purpose he asked to be ordained. He was ordained, Sine Titulo, December 17, 1760. At the meeting of Presbytery, Oct. 14, 1760, a number of the members of the Slate Ridge congregation asked Presbytery that their meeting house be continued where it is. Another party asked that it be removed. The Presbytery could not decide the matter, but determined that at the ensuing meeting of Presbytery a committee should be appointed to go to the spot and decide the matter. According to this determination, in December, a committee consisting of Blair, Bay, Jas. Finley, and S. Finley, Moderator, was appointed to meet at Slate Ridge on the 3d Tuesday of March, to settle the place where to build their meeting-house. On Oct. 21, 1761, this committee reported to their Presbytery that they had met with the Slate Ridge congregation, and determined the place of building their meeting-house. Commissioners came to this Presbytery, who say that the spring is not standing, and that a good spring may be had by going a little way from that place. Presbytery allowed them to go to that place, if the majority so incline. To have a house of worship near to a good spring of water is desirable, and this desire appears to have influenced the minds of a portion of the worshippers who preceded us here, when choosing a site for their sanctuary. Some two of the springs of water near to this place, we judge, were the ones referred to in the above record, and the standing spring of water probably was the one which this church now owns. At the same meeting of Presbytery the congregations of Chanceford and Slate Ridge renewed their call on Mr. Strain. They asked him to consider it again, which he consented to do. It is evident that he accepted this call, for at the meeting of Presbytery October 19, 1762, it was ordered that Messrs. Sterling, Bay, and Finley, be a committee to meet at Slate Ridge on the 3d Wednesday of November, to install Mr. Strain if the way be clear. At the time and place ordered, all the members of the committee met, except one. Mr. Finley, having lost his horse, could not attend. Mr. Bay presided, and at Slate Ridge, on the 17th of November, 1762, Mr. Strain was installed pastor of the Chanceford and Slate Ridge churches. At the same meeting of Presbytery, at which the installation of Mr. Strain was ordered, a certain Hannah and Frances Alexander, appealed from a judgment of the session of Muddy Creek congre- gation, and desired that Presbytery would either consider the matter of their appeal now, or refer it to the committee to meet for Mr. Strain's instalment. This matter was referred to said com- mittee. There is nothing in the record to inform us what the matter of their appeal was, or what was the judgment of the session from which they appealed. In the minutes of the same meeting of Presbytery, it is recorded that a certain James Morri- son was censured by a committee of the late Second Presbytery, for bad conduct towards the late Mr. Eleazer Whittlsey, to which censure he refused submission. He was deprived of church privi- leges ever since. He now professes sorrow and submits to the censure. Mr. Finley was direct to get the minutes of said com- mittee of the Second Presbytery, and the committee appointed to install Mr. Strain are empowered to receive Mr. Morrison's sub- mission,--Mr. Strain to be a member of said committee. We judge that this Hannah and Frances Alexander, and James Morri- son, were members of the Slate Ridge church. Not long after Mr. Strain's installation, he and Rev. James Hunt with their congregations were set off from the Newcastle Presby- tery, and annexed to the old Donegal Presbytery. Mr. Strain and his elder, James Smith, met with the Donegal Presbytery for the first time, June 29, 1763. Mr. Strain opened the Presbytery with a sermon on 1 Peter ii. 7. In the minutes of the Presbyerty we discover that Mr. Strain and his elder are almost always late in their attendance on the meetings of Presbytery,--generally arriving on the second day of the session. By this late attendance we obtain the names of some of the ruling elders of this and the Chanceford church, which otherwise would have been unknown to us. The names we obtain in this way are--Hugh Whiteford, Esq., Rowland Hughes, Joseph Wasson or Watson, John Steel, James Leiper, James Gordon, James Clarke. Otherwise than by late attendance we obtain the names of two others of Mr. Strain's elders. These are, James Smith and Patrick Scott. Of these, we judge, Whiteford, Steel, Leiper, Gordon, Clarke, and Patrick Scott, were elders in this church, and that James Smith, Hughes, Wasson, Cowan, and Thomas Scott, were elders in the Chanceford church. We are not, I think, from their late attendance, to charge this good minister and his elders with dilatoriness or sloth. When a man rode on horseback from this place to Carlisle, Lower Marsh Creek, Middle Spring, and Big Spring, on such roads as were at that time, we think he had a valid excuse for late attendance. We judge that it was about the time Mr. Strain became pastor of this church, or shortly afterwards, that the people began to bury in this graveyard. The oldest grave that we have noticed is that of a child, named McCandless, who died in 1764. At this time also, a work was performed, in no way related to this church or affecting its history, but as a part of this work was done very near to this house, and in this neighborhood, it may be noticed. This was the running of that line by survey, called Mason and Dixon's. Mason and Dixon were two English sur- veyors, who came over to this country to survey, and if possible settle the disputed boundary, between the Penns and the Balti- mores. They began their work in the fall of 1763. In 1764, they traced their line to the Susquehanna. In 1765, they proceeded with their work, passing along westward very near the spot where we are now assembled. It is said that no line drawn by human survey was ever so remarkable in the geographical divisions of our globe--no other limit on earth was ever so conspicuous in the course of a single century. A century after it was drawn, events have occurred in this nation which have rendered Mason and Dixon's line far less conspicuous than it was formerly. In 1765 or 6, Mr. Strain purchased a farm in Fawn township. This township, in which our house of worship now is, did not exist until 1817. All was Fawn township, until a division was made and a new township constituted, called Peachbottom, in 1817. The Rev. John Strain of Fawn township bought of David Bradford of the same township fifty acres of land. The price was 130 pounds, lawful money of Pennsylvania, Mr. Strain's farm is described as adjoining the lands of John Edmundson, and of one White. Mr. Strain's deed for this land was sealed and delivered in the presence of Nathaniel Semple and Thomas Armor. The acknowledgement of this deed is in the following words:--"York Co., ss. Before me, Cunningham Semple, Esq., one of his Majesty's Justices, &c., for said county, personally came David Bradford, and acknowledged this his act and deed. Set to my hand and seal, Nov. 13th, 1766. Cunningham Semple." It is said that Mr. Strain's farm and resi- dence was where widow Miller now lives. This was a convenient place, being about equi-distant from the churches to which Mr. Strain ministered. Tradition says that Mr. Strain had a man who worked his farm, and that he gave himself to the ministry of the word and prayer, and that he was unmarried, his mother keeping house for him. He was of a sickly constitution, as we learn from the minutes of the old Donegal Presbytery. Shortly after he joined that Presbytery, Presbytery excused him from sup- plying vacancies on account of his weak state of health. At another time they appointed him to supply some vacant congrega- tion, "unless he go a journey for health." Although sickly, the pastor of two churches, and abundant in his labors among his flocks, he added to these labors for a time, that of a theological instructor. The record is, "Mr. Hezekiah James Baulch, having obtained the degree of B.A. in the College of New Jersey, and applied himself about the space of a year to the study of Divinity under the care of Mr. Strain, &c." By the death of Rev. Gilbert Tennent in 1764, the Second Pres- byterian Church of Philadelphia was left vacant. A call from this church for Messrs. Duffield and Strain to be joint pastors of that congregation, was laid before the Donegal Presbytery at its meet- ing on May 25, 1768, and requesting their concurrence. A cer- tificate was also brought in and read, that said call was fair and regular. It was ordered that notice of this affair be given to the congregations concerned, and they requested to attend the next meeting. The next meeting of Presbytery was held at Slate Ridge. Commissioners from the Second Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, appeared to prosecute their call to Duffield and Strain. They proposed to give to each of them 200 pounds, per annum, for their support, and offered a number of arguments for their removal. An address from the united congregations of Chanceford and Slate Ridge, warmly remonstrating against the removal of Mr. Strain, was brought in and read, and commissioners from the con- gregations were fully heard. The issue was, that these ministers did not accept this call. Duffield afterwards did go to Phila- delphia, but Strain remained with his people here until his death. Mr. Strain's ministry here extended over a period of twelve years--from 1762 to 1774. As a preacher of the gospel, "he is still remembered as one of the most eloquent ministers our Church has ever produced." The late Dr. A. Alexander gives the following description of his preaching:--"The Rev. John Strain was a preacher of uncommon power and success. His manner, as I have heard from some who attended his ministry, was awfully solemn. Many were awakened under his pungent and search- ing discourses; and his method of dealing with those who came to him under concern of mind, was thought to be singular at that time. He would authoritatively exhort them to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and would then turn away from them. Some- times after preaching to the people, and offering Christ to them earnestly, when, after the benediction, they were going out of the house, he would rise up, and cry out in the most heart-piercing tone of inquiry--'What! are you going away without receiving Christ into your hearts?' His plan of preaching was, to represent to the sinner his ruined condition, and then urge him by every solemn and tender entreaty, immediately to close in with the offers mercy through the Lord Jesus Christ. I have often heard Hugh Weir, who was a subject of grace under Mr. Strain, repeat whole sermons which he had heard him preach. His opinion was that he had never heard any preacher equal to him; especially in the earnest and tender beseeching of sinners to be reconciled to God." In the memoirs of the Rev. Joseph Eastburn, who was born and lived in Philadelphia, and who during the latter part of his life was the stated preacher in the Mariner's Church in that city, I find an account of an interview between Mr. Eastburn and Mr. Strain, which confirms what has already been said respecting Mr. Strain's method of dealing with inquirers. Mr. Eastburn was anxious about his salvation, and his father observing his distressed counte- nance, insisted on knowing what was his trouble. He made it known to his father, and he says: "He took me to see pious minis- ters. A Mr. Strain was often in town at that time, to whom I made my case known. He gave me the advice Paul gave to the jailor, and pressed me to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ immedi- ately; warning me against false resting places, and insisted upon it I was now doing so, and said while I hoped to be saved in any other way but through Jesus, I was practically calling God a liar, who declared there was no other way." The late Dr. Martin said of Mr. Strain, that "he was a man of great piety, great zeal, and ardor. He would reach the passions by eruptions of piety and passion, by unexpectedly shooting aside of his subject, and taking them (his hearers) unawares with a frightful exclamation or a rapturous one. He was one of those men whose subject would enchain him no longer than it would have effect. When it failed, he used a new expedient. He was much loved by many, and was thought to be suc- cessful. There were, however, some who were displeased with his fervor, and left his ministry on that account. All concurred that he was a man of God, and intimate with his Saviour." In the chief work of the ministry, that of preaching the gospel and directing men into the way of life, we have learned that Mr. Strain was a good and eminent workman. In the deliberations of the church courts of his time, and in conducting the business of these courts, he took a prominent part. Relating to the part which he took in conducting the business of the church courts, an anecdote is told of him and the Rev. George Duffield. As to its truth we cannot vouch for it, but will relate it as given by Dr. Alexander. "Mr. Strain was near-sighted, and of a very grave and solemn aspect. At the Synod Mr. Strain acted as clerk. One day when he dined with Dr. Duffield, who was fond of a jest, the latter slipped into the coat-pocket of the former, in which he had vari- ous papers of the Synod, a pack of cards loosely rolled up in a paper. When they returned to the church and the session was opened, Strain arose to read some paper or report, and thrusting his hand into his pocket drew out the pack of cards, which, being loose, were scattered on the table and the floor. Duffield of course enjoyed the fun, but Strain no how embarrased, but with awful solemnity said, 'When I see that man in the pulpit I am so delighted and edified with his preaching that I feel as if he ought never to come out, but when I see his levity out of the pulpit I am disposed to think that he should never enter it again.' " Like many other of the early and eminent ministers of our Church he did not live to old age. As he was attached to, and lived among his people, so he died among them. In the Pennsyl- vania Gazette of June 1, 1774, there is an account of the death and burial of Mr. Strain. It reads thus:--"On Saturday, the 21st of last month, departed this life, in the 46th year of his age, the Rev. Mr. John Strain, pastor of the Presbyterian churches of Slate Ridge and Chanceford. Of whom it may be said, he was a man of God, and that in exemplary piety, unaffected humility, steady friendship, a close walk with God, energy and a power for sublime description, there were few of the present day equal to him..... An extensive acquaintance with the liberal arts and sciences, and a critical knowledge of the doctrines of religion and casuistic divinity, added to his other qualifications, and joined with a happy strength of genius, and peculiar zeal and diligence in the execution of his ministerial office, rendered him a workman that needed not to be ashamed.....To spend and be spent in the cause of his dear Redeemer, and for the salvation of immortal souls, was his meat and drink, and his labors were crowned with remarkable success. .... In a word, in him was exhibited to view a living picture of primitive Christianity in its genuine simplicity, dignity and spirit- ual glory. As he lived, so he died, rejoicing in a full faith of that glorious gospel he had preached to others. And his last words, as an anticipation of the hallelujahs of Heaven, were, to a friend that sat by him, inviting him to praise the Lord for his goodness. His remains were interred on the Monday following at Slate Ridge, attended by a numerous concourse of people of various denomina- tions. 'Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live forever?' " His dust lies here, awaiting the voice of the archangel and the sound of the trump of God. Over his grave has been placed a tombstone on which are engraved these words:--"In memory of the Rev. Dr. John Strain, who departed this life April 12, 1774, aged 43 years. 'In yonder sacred house I spent my breath, Now mouldering here, my body lies in death, But yet shall rise, and one day will declare A dread amen to truths I published there.' Done by the people of Slate Ridge congregation." We observe a discrepancy between some parts of this inscription and other accounts of this minister and his death. On the tomb- stone he is called Dr. John Strain. In no document, minutes, or account that I have seen, is the title of Doctor given to him. On the tombstone we read that he died April 12. In the minutes of the Donegal Presbytery, and in the Pennsylvania Gazette, it is stated that he died on the 21st of May. On the tombstone it is, "aged 43 years." In the Gazette he is said to have died in the 46th year of his age. As the stone was placed over his grave per- haps a considerable time after his death, the errors were made in the inscription by those who were not familiar with his age, time of decease, and proper title. Previous to the death of Mr. Strain, Presbytery, at its meeting in April, 1770, ordered that the congregation of Slate Ridge send a Commissioner to our next meeting to give an account respecting Mr. Strain's salary. In the minutes of the meeting of Presbytery succeeding Mr. Strain's death it is recorded:--"An account of arrearages due from the congregation of Slate Ridge was brought in by a commissioner. An account likewise was brought in, in a letter from James Leiper, administrator of Mr. Strain's estate. The Commissioners declare that the congregations are ready and willing to do all in their power, in their present circumstances, to have their arrears paid." Two years after the death of Mr. Strain we find the Slate Ridge and Chanceford churches making applica- tion to their Presbytery for Mr. McMillan, and for liberty to apply to said Presbytery for supplies, all which we presume were granted. If Mr. McMillan received a call from this and the Chanceford church, as we think he did, it is evident he did not accept it. He became one of the pioneers of our Church in Western Pennsylvania, and spent his life in laying the foundation of Presby- terianism and education in a region now full of churches and schools. In not accepting calls, sometimes ministers are judged to be influenced by motives of self-interest. We judge that it could not have been from such motive this minister acted, when we read the account he gives of his arrival and entrance on his western field of labor in 1778. He says, "When I came to this country the cabin in which I was to live was raised, but there was no roof to it, nor any chimney or floor. The people, however, were very kind. They assisted me in preparing my house, and on the 16th of December I moved into it. But we had neither bedstead nor table, nor stool, nor chair, nor bucket. All these things we had to leave behind us. As there was no wagon road at that time over the mountains, we could bring nothing with us but what was carried on pack horses. We placed two boxes one on the other, which served us for a table, and two kegs served us for seats, and having committed ourselves to God in family worship, we spread a bed on the floor and slept soundly till morning. The next day, a neighbor coming to my assistance, we made a table and a stool, and in a little time had everything comfortable around us. Sometimes, indeed, we had no bread for weeks together, but we had plenty of pumpkins and potatoes, and all the necessaries of life; as for luxuries, were were not much concerned about them. We enjoyed health, the gospel and its ordinances, and pious friends. We were in the place where we believed God would have us to be; and we did not doubt but that He would provide everything necessary, and glory to his name we were not disappointed." We have now come in the history of this church, to revolution- ary times. A time of war, we know from experience, is unfavor- able to the prosperity of churches, even when they are provided with ministers, elders and ordinances. The revolutionary struggle found this and the Chanceford Church without a pastor. In this time of strife and struggle for independence in the nation, we have no definite knowledge as to the condition of these churches, for in the minutes of the Donegal Presbytery, to which they belonged, there is no account or notice of them from 1777 until 1781. From another source we learn that after the death of Mr. Strain the Rev. Mr. Smith preached to the Slate Ridge and Chanceford con- gregations for two years. Above we have learned that these churches applied to their own Presbytery for leave to obtain sup- plies from the Newcastle Presbytery. Accordingly we find the Slate Ridge and Chanceford Churches asking for and obtaining supplies from the Newcastle Presbytery, from 1777 to 1781. To one of their requests a Rev. Wm. Smith is appointed to supply at Slate Ridge on the second Sabbath in March 1778. Another request for supplies is made, and in it "Slate Ridge requests as much of Mr. Joseph Smith's time as possible." This Mr. Joseph Smith was pastor of Lower Brandywine and Wilmington Second Church, and his pastoral relation to these churches was dissolved by the Newcastle Presbytery in April, 1778, "on account of the difficult state of our public affairs." Messrs. Sample, Luckey, Finley, and Tate, were also appointed supplies to the Slate Ridge Church, by the Newcastle Presbytery. Our conclusion from all examination of the records is, that during this troublous time, this church was dependent for the ministration of the word and sacra- ments on occasional supplies granted them chiefly by a Presbytery to which they did not belong. At a meeting of the Donegal Presbytery, held April 15, 1781, a call from the united congregations of Slate Ridge and Chanceford to the Rev. John Slemons, was brought in and read, together with a subscription paper in which each of the congregations do engage to pay unto Mr. Slemons, in case he accepts their call, the sum of 60 pounds in grain; allowing six shillings per bushel for wheat, three shillings for corn, and four shillings per bushel for rye, or the cur- rent price of what the grain by such calculation shall amount to. Presbytery finding this call in order, put it into the hands of Mr. Slemons, who took it under consideration. At the ensuing meet- ing of Presbytery, Mr. Slemons declared his acceptance of the call from these churches, and at the following meeting, Mr. McFar- quhar and Mr. Henderson were appointed to meet at Slate Ridge on the third Wednesday of November next, to install Mr. Slemons as pastor of the united congregations of Slate Ridge and Chance- ford. The Rev. John Slemons graduated at Princeton College in 1760. He was installed pastor of Lower Marsh Creek Congregation in 1765, and dismissed from that congregation in 1774, the year in which Mr. Strain died. In November 1783, nine years afterwards, Mr. Slemons was installed pastor of the Slate Ridge and Chance- ford Churches. In March of this year, 1783, and previous to his installation, Mr. Slemons purchased a farm in Fawn township, con- taining 238 acres and 88 perches. The price paid for it by Mr. Slemons was 500 pounds. This farm adjoined lands of Robert Gilchrist, Robert Gibson, Thomas Allen and James Smith. I have not learned by tradition or otherwise in what part of the township Mr. Slemons' farm was. In April 1786, Mr. Slemons applied to Pres- bytery for a dismission from his present pastoral charge, and assigned as the reason thereof, that he had little prospect of being useful there, and that his support was inadequate, on account of the negligence of his congregations in paying his salary. As no commissioners from the congregations were present, Presbytery directed the congregations to send commissioners to their next stated meeting to give an account of their arrearages, and show cause, if any, why Mr. Slemons' pastoral relation to them should not be dissolved. In May, 1786, and before this matter was issued, Synod divided the Presbytery of Donegal into two Presbyteries-- the one called the Presbytery of Baltimore, consisting of the Rev. John Slemons and his churches, and others; the other called the Presbytery of Carlisle. At a meeting of the Presbytery of Balti- more in April, 1787, Mr. Slemons moved for a dismission from the Slate Ridge and Chanceford churches. Presbytery cited the churches to appear at their meeting in October of the same year. B. Peden and J. Barnett appeared in answer to the citation of Pres- bytery, and stated that the churches they represented were in arrears and that they would try and pay up. It appears that Mr. Slemons was not dismissed at that time, but continued to minister to these churches four years more. In September, 1791, the pastoral relation was dissolved. We have said that the Scotch and Scotch-Irish emigrants to this neighborhood brought the school as well as the church with them. The ministers of the Presbyterian Church have always been the friends and patrons of learning, and the ministers of this church have inspired and fostered a love for learning, and assisted many to obtain an education. In the schools of this neighborhood some obtained their primary training, who afterwards became eminent for learning and ability. Hugh Henry Brackenridge was brought by his parents from Scotland to this neighborhood when a child. His early education was obtained in the schools of this place. He pursued his education at Princeton College, where he graduated in 1771. He studied theology, and was licensed in the ministry of the Presbyterian Church, and served in the American army as chaplain. Having relinquished the ministry and studied law, he removed to western Pennsylvania about 1781, when that country was little more than a wilderness. In his profession he was pros- perous and distinguished, and had a high reputation as a scholar, lawyer, and jurist. In 1800 he was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of the State, which he filled with ability. James Ross, of Pittsburg, was a descendant of Scotch-Irish parents, in the barrens of York. He obtained the plain education by the circumstances of his parents and the neighborhood afforded. By application he advanced himself in his education, and for some time was employed as a teacher. By pursuing his studies, he soon qualified himself for admission to the bar. His great powers of mind, with industry and application, gave him rank as a lawyer that had few equals. He became eminent for talents and learning, and distinguished as an advocate and statesman. He was a member of the Pennsylvania State Convention to form a Constitution for its government, and a member of the United States Senate. James Edgar was born in York county, in the congregation of Slate Ridge, in 1744, and removed to western Pennsylvania in 1779. He obtained all his education in the schools of this place. Dr. Carnahan in his lecture on the whiskey insurrection, says of Mr. Edgar, "This truly great and good man, little known beyond the precincts of Washington county, Pennsylvania, had removed to western Pennsylvania at an early period. He had a good English education; had improved his mind by reading and reflection, so that in theological and political knowledge he was superior to many professional men. He had as clear a head and as pure a heart as ever fell to the lot of mortals; and he possessed an eloquence, which although not polished, was convincing and per- suasive. Yet he lived in retirement on his farm, except when the voice of his neighbors called him to serve the Church or the State. He was a ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church, and one of the Associate Judges of Washington county. I recollect to have heard him at Buffalo, on Monday after a sacramental occasion, address a congregation of at least two thousand people, on the subject of the insurrection, with a clearness of argument and solemnity of manner, and a tenderness of Christian eloquence, which reached the under- standing and penetrated the heart of the hearer. The consequence was, very few in his neighborhood were concerned in the lawless riots." Another who, we suppose, was born and brought up in this neighborhood, and, we judge, obtained in the schools here all his early education and training, was the Hon. Hugh Glasgow. He became one of the associate judges of this county, and was after- wards elected a member of Congress. He died at his residence in this township on the 31st of January, 1818, in the 49th year of his age. Returning to the history of this church, after this digression, we find that it was vacant four years after the resignation of Mr. Slemons. Its next minister was the Rev. Samuel Martin, D.D. He was born in Chestnut Level, Lancaster county; Pennsylvania, on the 9th of January, 1767. His parents, Samuel and Agnes Martin, emigrated from Ireland about the year 1754. They were exemplary members of the Associate Church. Samuel was their third son. He early manifested a preference for the Presbyterian Church. His boyhood was spent in the labors of the farm, except a few months in the winter season, during which he attended some common school in the neighborhood. Favored with the pious early training of his excellent parents, he grew up free from open vice, and instructed in the Scriptures, and in the principles of our holy religion. It was not, however, until his 22d year, that he became deeply anxious about his soul, and then was made, as he believed, a subject of saving grace. His studies, preparatory to entering college, were pursued under the superintendence of Rev. Dr. Latta, and Rev. Dr. Smith, of Pequea. To meet the expense of his college course, he spent two years in teaching a grammar- school in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and one year at St. Georges, in Delaware. He graduated at the University of Pennsylvania, on the 8th of July, 1790. He was taken under the care of the Pres- bytery of Baltimore in April, 1792, and after the usual examina- tions and trials, he was licensed by the same Presbytery, April 17, 1793. At the meeting of this Presbytery, held in September, 1794, James Barnett and James Ramsey applied for Samuel Martin, and he was directed to preach at Slate Ridge in October. At a meet- ing of Presbytery, held in November, 1794, a committee, that had been appointed in April, reported to Presbytery that they find a union in supplies between Slate Ridge and Chanceford, for above forty years, chiefly under installed preachers. No one has any knowledge of a written contract between them. Chanceford wants it continued--Slate Ridge wants it broken. Slate Ridge considers it already done, (broken,) in the case of dismissing Mr. Slemons. At the same meeting of Presbytery, John Sample and James Gibson presented a call for Mr. Samuel Martin, from the Slate Ridge Church. The next meeting of Presbytery was held at Slate Ridge, October 7, 1795. Then and there, Rev. Samuel Martin accepted the call, and was ordained and installed pastor of this church. Mr. Slemons presided, Mr. Sample preached, and Mr. Johnson gave the charge. For four years and more, Rev. Samuel Martin was pastor of this church alone. During this time he taught a classical school here, to eke out a slender support. In this school he educated a number of young men, some of whom stood high in office and public estimation, and regarded with grati- tude and affection the memory of their early preceptor. About the year 1800, the members of the Baltimore Presbytery petitioned Synod for a division of their Presbytery. The reason for their application for a division, was that some of the members had so far to travel to the meetings of Presbytery. Their request was granted, and Mr. Martin and this church, with other ministers and their churches, were annexed to the Newcastle Presbytery. In the minutes of the meeting of the Newcastle Presbytery, April 1, 1800, at which the Rev. Mr. Martin and the Slate Ridge Church were received under its care, we find this record, "The congrega- tion of Slate Ridge, having been convinced, from four years' expe- rience, of their inablility to support Mr. Martin, agreed to dispose of half his labors to a neighboring congregation; wherefore, the congregation of Chanceford have prepared a call for Mr. Martin. And Presbytery having received written testmony of the consent of the people of Slate Ridge to give up one half of their ministers' labors, and of their having bound themselves to pay him annually the sum of one hundred pounds for the half of his labors, received the call from the congregation of Chanceford, and offered it to Mr. Martin, which he did at the same time accept." As pastor of these two churches, Dr. Martin labored in word and doctrine, breaking to them the bread of life, until 1812. During his ministry here, the building described as "a new, better, and fourth church, built of squared logs," was burned. This log church having become old, uncomfortable, and insecure, some desired it to be pulled down, and a new one erected in its stead. Others desired the old one repaired, and it is said, to prevent all possibility of its being repaired, it was set on fire. This house of worship, in which we are now assembled, was built under the direction and superintendence of Dr. Martin. Whilst pastor of this church, he and his family lived on a farm, which his successor in the ministry, Rev. Mr. Parke, now lives on and owns. Here three of Dr. Martin's children--an only son and two daughters-- died, and are buried in this graveyard. The Presbytery of Newcastle met in Slate Ridge Church, Sep- tember 24, 1811. The meeting is described as a large and inte- resting one. The chief business transacted at this meeting, was the examination of several candidates for the gospel ministry. Mr. Finney delivered a lecture. Messrs. Belville, John H. Grier, John N. Grier, John W. Grier, John C. Grier, Robert S. Grier, and Samuel Parke, homilies, the subjects of which had been assigned them at a previous meeting of Presbytery. These were sustained as parts of trial. The above-named, with Mr. Barr, were also exam- ined in astronomy, and their answers were satisfactory. At a meeting of Presbytery, held in Wilmington, September 29, 1812, the Rev. Samuel Martin made application to Presbytery for a dis- solution of the pastoral relation subsisting between him and the congregations of Slate Ridge and Chanceford. Dr. Martin's reasons being regarded satisfactory, and his congregations being duly noti- fied, and acquiescing in his request, his pastoral relation was dis- solved. After being pastor of this church for seventeen years, this able minister of the New Testament leaves, and this church is again without a pastor. We have now arrived at a period which is regarded as the limit of history--"a time which is within the memory of men still liv- ing." A strict regard to this limit, would require us to stop here. But half a century has been added to the age of this church since this period, and some notice of our church's existence in this time is required. One of the candidates for the gospel ministry men- tioned above, Mr. Samuel Parke, was in due time licensed to preach the gospel. A short time after his licensure, and when this church had been vacant exactly one year, Mr. Parke received a call to become the pastor of this church. After due time for considera- tion, he accepted this call, and on Wednesday, August 10, 1814, --fifty-one (now fifty-four) years ago,--he was ordained and in- stalled as pastor of this Slate Ridge church. Rev. Mr. Luckie pre- sided. Rev. Mr. Finney preached the ordination sermon, and Rev. James Latta gave the charge to pastor and people. For forty-three years from this date, my predecessor in the ministry here, con- tinued to preach the word, administer the sacraments, visit, cate- chise, comfort the mourning, and bury the dead. Of two hundred members of this church when he became pastor, only two are now alive. With his labors in the ministry here, with his joys, trials, and sorrows, many of you are far more familiar and better ac- quainted than I am. Many of you he has baptized. Many of you he has joined in the dearest and closest earthly relationship, and from his hands many of you have received the emblems of our Saviour's broken body and shed blood, and for most of you he has interceded with God in prayer. After the labor of his day, our venerable father is still spared to be with us, and to unite with us in the service of the sanctuary. The Saviour whom he has served is permitting him "to hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord." One belonging to a generation now growing old, writes thus of scenes which he witnessed in and around this church in his child- hood and youth:--"Pleasant are my recollections of going to church. There were grand old woods in those days on the west and north of the inclosed church grounds. In the summer season, before service, groups could be seen here and there among the trees, some of them pretty gay. I remember the 'nosegays' appear- ing in great profusion, made up chiefly of roses, pinks, sweet- williams, and a little 'old man' to qualify the rich fragrance. I remember the neighing of horses resounding throughout the woods, as family after family rode up (nearly every one on horseback,) and alighted at 'the stiles.' I wonder if any of those little log structure so called, still remain. (The last of them has just fallen into decay.) I remember seeing one and another, and sometimes small groups, walking pensively in the graveyard, or standing in solemn silence and with flowing tears. Then came the services in the church. It had pleased my grandfather to place his pew against the wall in the corner on the right side of the pulpit, and to elevate it 2 1/2 or 3 feet above the floor of the church. It was literally the highest seat of the synagogue, yet never excited any ill-feeling or envy, so far as known to me. It was regarded as a harmless whim of the old patriarch. There were, properly speaking, only two other pews in the church. These were owned by two brothers, Hugh and Dr. Whiteford, and stood against the wall at the end farthest from the pulpit. All the other seats were mere benches, with backs to them indeed, but exhibiting a great variety of patterns and many of them not much mechanical skill. So the matter continued till I left the neighborhood, and for a number of years afterward..... I listened in my childish simplicity, and often with a kind of awe, to the solemn music, the earnest prayer, and the impressive sermon. Serious thoughts and feelings arose when I saw children presented for baptism; and especially when I saw people from all parts of the house--saw my own kindred--going to, and returning from, the table of the Lord. The notes of 'Coleshill' (almost exclusively sund during the serving of the tables,) still ring in my ears, as I think of these solemn scenes; I see the elders passing silently along the tables and taking up 'the tokens;' I hear the solemn and often tearful address of the minister; my heart melts, my eyes overflow as in the olden time. There, I believe, were the beginnings of my Christian life. How 'pleasing, yet mournful to the soul,' is the remembrance of these scenes to me! They can never be forgotten, 'While life, or thought, or being lasts, Or immortality endures.' " About eighteen years ago, a colony went out from this church, and were organized, The Slateville Presbyterian Church. Under the ministerial and pastoral care of the Rev. Thomas M. Crawford, this has grown to be a large and flourishing church. The present pastor of the Slate Ridge Church began his labors in this field September 1860, and for whatever little of good, God has made us the instrument of accomplishing, we thank him and render to him the glory. There are lessons which the history of this church teaches, if we had time to hear them. No one can become acquainted with the history of this church without discovering the goodness and mercy of God. We see him bringing his people into the wilderness and protecting them from the savages that surrounded them. We see Jehovah, in the wilderness, giving his people his ordinances, a sanctuary and a preached gospel. The pouring out of his Spirit on the primitive settlers in this neighborhood, is a manifestation of the Saviour's goodness and mercy. To the first settlers here, God verified his prophesy, "Therefore behold I will allure her and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her." The continuance of his ordinances from generation to generation evince the loving kindness of the Lord. Had it not been for the goodness and mercy of God, the candlestick would have been long ago removed out of his place. Another lesson that may be learned from this church and its history, is the great value and importance of the gospel ministry. Whilst we do not glory in men, nor desire to glorify man, "whose breath is in his nostrils," yet we may lawfully and justly magnify the ministerial office. This church has frequently, we may say often, been vacant. If there has been no period in her history when she was without the true God and his law, yet there have been frequent times when she was without a teaching priest. We have not a complete history of this church during each of her vacancies, yet from observation and experience we are fully war- ranted in concluding that then this vine of God's right hand plant- ing languished. God has made the preaching of the word the great means of convincing and converting sinners and building up his people, and we can see its importance and value in the lan- guishing condition of this church, and of every other church in which it is interrupted. In this church and its history, we see the permanence of the Church. It is one of the things that remain. Look at the changes that have taken place in things which men regard as stable and firm, since this church began its existence. Governments are regarded as stable things. Yet they are frequently shaken and fall. The first members of this church were British subjects. For the first twenty-five or thirty years of this church's history, its mem- bers yielded their allegiance to the British crown. That govern- ment was overthrown. A new and entirely different government was established, and not long ago this one was shaken to its centre. Another government arose and existed for a brief space, and then died. This church has seen its pastors one after another leave her or die; generation after generation has passed away. It has seen two of its houses of worship perish in the flames. Yet amid all these revolutions and changes this church remains. If one will, he may see the hand of God preserving this his church. The permanency of our church, of which we have just spoken, is due to His preserving care. All around this church there has been war and revolution. At no great distance from her, fierce battles have been fought. There have been frequently strife and contention within her own walls. Yet, "the foundation of God standeth sure." "God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved." "And the Highest himself shall establish her."